Twenty entrepreneurs and business leaders from Singapore were named awardees of the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2015 at a glittering gala dinner at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. Over 350 attendees were present at the by- invitation only event, comprising of industry leaders, leading entrepreneurs, dignitaries and the who’s who of the business world, including, Mr Seah Kian Peng, Minister of Parliament, Marine Parade, Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, Chairman of Enterprise Asia and Dato’ William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia.
The Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards, or APEA, is a regional recognition program organized by Enterprise Asia, the region’s foremost association and think- tank for entrepreneurship. The Awards are presented to a handful of entrepreneurs across Asia Pacific each year, with award ceremonies held in over thirteen countries every year.
The Awards is often compared to the Olympics for the stringent entry criteria and highly competitive judging parameters. Nominations of the Awards itself is by invitation, either by past and current awardees, a supporting trade association or the organizing committee of Enterprise Asia. Nominees are then subjected to a series of rigorous tests, including financial verification by an appointed audit firm and a compulsory physical site audit and interview, culminating in a secret balloting process by Enterprise Asia’s organizing committee.
Awardees are expected to be torchbearers of entrepreneurship and business leaders in their respective countries, and adhere to a strict standard of personal and business ethics.
“We can say with certainty that the recipients of the APEA are like none others. Not only do they have to prove their entrepreneurial skills and experience in one of the toughest contests in the world, they also subject themselves to a pledge to uphold the highest standards of entrepreneurship, which includes allegiance to the two founding pillars of Enterprise Asia, namely Investment in People and Responsible Entrepreneurship”, says Dato’ William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia.
The final twenty were announced by Enterprise Asia at the awards ceremony in Singapore, where all winners were presented with their trophies and certificates by Minister of Parliament, Marine Parade, Mr Seah Kian Peng, Chairman of Enterprise Asia, Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, along with President of Enterprise Asia, Dato’ William Ng.
Among the recipients was Mr Sam Goi, Executive Chairman of Tee Yih Jia Group. Mr Goi, also known as the Popiah King of Singapore, was the highlight of the awards, receiving the top accolade of Lifetime Achievement Award.
The annual Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards Singapore is now in its 7th edition. These entrepreneurs are contributors towards Singapore’s intensifying economic development within the region. It is through this recognition program that Enterprise Asia hopes to continue to encourage and stimulate economic growth throughout the region.
Mr Ng explained, “The APEA is aimed at promoting entrepreneurship. Beyond recognizing the efforts of these entrepreneurs, we hope to encourage them to continue taking their businesses to the next level, and in the process, providing more job opportunities to the people in the region, and help to drive the economy forward”.
The twenty truly deserving individuals were awarded under the Most Promising, Outstanding and Special Categories of the Awards. They represented various Industries and Focus areas.
RECIPIENT LIST OF ASIA PACIFIC ENTREPRNEURSHIP AWARDS 2015 SINGAPORE
Special Category – Lifetime Achievement Award
Sam Goi, Executive Chairman, Tee Yih Jia Group
Outstanding Category
Pauline Goh, CEO, Singapore & South East Asia, CBRE Pte Ltd
John Cheng, Managing Director, Citus Trading Pte Ltd
Chu Sau Ben, Executive Chairman & CEO, Libra Group Limited
Neo Kah Kiat, PBM, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Neo Group Limited
Poh Choon Ann, Group Chairman & CEO, Poh Tiong Choon Logistics Limited Chrisandra Heng, Director, SCA Design Pte Ltd (member of the ONG&ONG Group) Johnny Manglani, President/CEO, UOMO Group
Most Promising
Alan Koh, Managing Director, Alric Projects Pte Ltd
Yun Ta Ming, Group CEO, CHASSasia (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Alex Tan, Managing Director, E.id Projects Pte Ltd
Chong Jin, Managing Director, Foh Foh Co. Pte Ltd
Goh Chuen Meng, Director, Hui Master International Geomancy Pte Ltd Dutch Ng, CEO, i-Sprint Innovations Pte Ltd
Seah Kwee Hock, Founder, JS Denki Pte Ltd
Nina Alag Suri, Founder & Group President, Nastrac Group Mohammed Yahaya, Director, New Flint Offshore & Marine Pte Ltd Jimmy Chua, Managing Director, Quantum Automation Pte Ltd
